A. Field of the Invention
The field of the present invention relates generally to apparatuses for restricting the motion of a motorcycle while it is being carried in the bed of a pickup truck, trailer or similar vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to such apparatuses that safely support the motorcycle in a generally upright position and which protect the front of the truck or trailer bed and the motorcycle from damage. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to such apparatuses that can support more than one motorcycle, which are adaptable to different sized truck and trailer beds and which are easily removed from the truck or trailer without damage thereto.
B. Background
Many people ride motorcycles as their main form of transportation or for recreation or competitive purposes, including off-road enjoyment and racing. Many of the motorcycles that are driven primarily for off-road recreation or racing are not licensed for use on highways or, even if licensed or licensable for highway use, are not used for long distance highway travel. Most recreation areas that are particularly enjoyable and suitable for off-road motorcycle riding, including relatively large open areas such as forests and deserts, are typically located somewhat remote from cities and towns. It is also well known that motorcycle racing tracks, whether for professional or amateur racing, are generally not located in large population centers, due in part to local zoning regulations prohibiting such tracks. As such, the use of motorcycles for off-road recreation or racing purposes generally requires the transport of the motorcycle from the owner's house or other location where the motorcycle is stored to the typically distant recreation area or race track. It is also occasionally necessary or perhaps desirable to transport motorcycles that are licensed and suitable for driving on the highway instead of riding the motorcycle. For instance, the owner may need to transport the motorcycle to a repair facility or he or she may desire to transport the motorcycle to location to be used as a starting point for a motorcycle trip.
The typical motorcycle owner either utilizes a separate trailer, which is configured to haul one or more motorcycles, hitched to the back of another vehicle or place the motorcycle(s) in the back of a truck, such as the bed of a pickup truck. While specifically configured motorcycle trailers have certain advantages with regard to hauling motorcycles, relative to pickup truck beds and flat trailers (both of which are adaptable to a variety of non-motorcycle hauling uses), the use of a separate motorcycle trailer is not favored by many motorcycle owners due to the cost of the trailer, need for storage during non-use and its limited adaptability for hauling other materials and equipment. As a result, use of a pickup truck or flat trailer to haul a motorcycle is perhaps the most popular means of transporting motorcycles from one location to another. Once placed on the pickup truck or trailer bed, the motorcycle is typically strapped into position using ropes; stretch cords or other devices configured to prevent the motorcycle from falling over during transport. As is well known, failure to properly secure the motorcycle to the pickup truck or trailer bed can result in substantial damage, including total loss, to the motorcycle and damage to the pickup truck or trailer. In more severe cases, an improperly secured motorcycle can even result in damage to vehicles traveling behind the pickup or trailer carrying the motorcycle and/or injury or death to persons in those vehicles.
A number of prior art patents describe devices which can be used with a pickup truck, trailer or other vehicle to transport a motorcycle. Certain of these devices are configured to carry the motorcycle at the back end of the vehicle. For instance U.S. Pat. No. 4,084,736 to Jacobs, Jr. describes a vehicle mounted motorcycle rack that mounts to the back end of a vehicle and which is configured to raise the motorcycle to a fixed position for transport. U.S. Pat. No. 3,931,903 to Johnson describes a motorcycle rack for vehicles that operates in a similar fashion to transport a motorcycle at the back end of a vehicle slightly above the ground level. U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,872 to Jager describes a motorcycle rack for a tow truck that is adapted to be mounted on a tow truck sling and carry the motorcycle behind the tow truck. None of the aforementioned patents are configured to safely and securely retain one or more motorcycles in the bed of a pickup truck or on a trailer bed. Numerous patents describe racks configured to carry one or more bicycles in the bed of a pickup truck. One configuration, exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,836,490 to Price, mounts to the side walls of the pickup bed compartment to receive the front and back wheels of the bicycle. U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,286 to Hagerty and U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,564 to Romero exemplify configurations where the mounting assembly mounts to the front of the pickup truck bed to attach to the bicycle handlebars. In another configuration, exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,472 to Miller, U.S. Pat. No. 5,516,020 to Lawler et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,890 to Perry, the rack mounts at or near the center of the pickup bed so that it can grasp a tube portion of the bicycle frame. In yet another configuration, exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 6,398,091 to Muñoz et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,504 to Hannes et al., the bicycle racks attaches to the frame of the bicycle with the front wheel removed. Because the bicycle racks described above are configured to transport bicycles not motorcycles, they are generally not suitable and not adaptable for safely and securely transporting a motorcycle in an upright position in a pickup truck bed or on a trailer bed.
With regard to motorcycle carrier assemblies that are configured to carry motorcycles in the bed portion of a pickup truck or trailer, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,109,494 to Pilmore and U.S. Pat. No. 4,057,182 to Kolkhorst describe to different configurations. The patent to Pilmore describes a motorcycle transport system that has a base portion which mounts to the floor of the bed and a bracket portion that permanently mounts to the frame of the motorcycle. For transporting purposes, the motorcycle is placed in the truck bed such that the bracket interconnects with the base to secure the motorcycle in an upright position. The patent to Kolkhorst describes a motorcycle carrier that has a vertical strut which mounts to the sidewall of the pickup bed and a hook member transversely mounted to the upper end of the vertical strut. The free end of the hook member has an upwardly opening hook contour that is engagingly received by a luggage rack or an added loop attached to the motorcycle so as to maintain the motorcycle in a preselected distance above the truck bed floor. Both of the aforementioned truck bed motorcycle racks require modifications to the motorcycle and require at least a portion of the assembly to be bolted, in a semi-permanent fashion, to the pickup truck bed. Another product, referred to as the Bed Buddy™ from CRC Sport, utilizes a front member having two or three wheel slots, depending on the size of the truck bed, and tie-down members having tie-down loops for securing the motorcycle(s) with tie-downs, rope, chain or locks. This apparatus mounts to the truck bed and must be selected based on the size of the truck (i.e., mini or full-size trucks). Several companies, such as Bike Pro, etrailer.com, Artisan Mfg., Inc. and Fisher Motorsport sell wheel chock apparatuses for receiving the front wheel of a motorcycle. At least a portion of these devices bolt to the floor, front or sides of a pickup truck bed.
Although the art of truck bed motorcycle racks discloses various apparatuses for transporting one or more motorcycles in an upright position on a truck or trailer bed, none of the presently known pickup truck or trailer bed motorcycle racks provides a device suitable for easy use with different sized pickup trucks or trailers and with motorcycle wheels of different widths and diameters without the need for drilling holes into the truck or trailer bed. Most of the known motorcycle racks do not easily allow the motorcycle to stand in the rack, without assistance from someone, while the tie-down straps or other devices are put into position to secure the motorcycle to the pickup truck or trailer bed. What is needed, therefore, is a motorcycle rack that can removably fit onto different sized pickup truck and trailer beds, which can accept motorcycles wheels of different sizes and can accept multiple motorcycles, all without requiring modification to the pickup truck bed, trailer bed or motorcycle. What is also needed, is an ability for the user of the rack to stand the motorcycle in the rack while he or she secures the motorcycle to the pickup truck or trailer bed with straps or other devices.